Bloodbath in Las Vegas: Deadliest Mass Shooting in US history

Darkmoon — Oct 4, 2017

These reports of the Las Vegas massacre have been compiled from various mainstream newspapers by Lasha Darkmoon but edited for brevity. (Total length: 1900 words). Other material, including a 6-minute video, has been added to this presentation in order to suggest that something more sinister could be going on here — something that will undoubtedly be dismissed as a “conspiracy theory”.

Stephen Paddock. Click to enlarge

A “lone wolf” gunman carried out America’s deadliest mass shooting in a meticulously planned attack after waiting for three days in a hotel suite before striking at a festival crowd of 22,000.

Stephen Paddock, 64, killed at least 59 people and injured a further 527 when he fired on concert-goers from the vantage point of a 32nd-floor hotel room in Las Vegas.

Armed with as many as 23 weapons, including semi-automatic rifles, Paddock opened fire at 10.08pm on Sunday in a shooting spree that lasted between five and 10 minutes.

As police prepared to storm his hotel room, Paddock committed suicide by turning one of the guns on himself.

With the motive still unknown, police were scouring Paddock’s personal life for clues.

Donald Trump described the massacre as an “act of pure evil” but sidestepped calls for tighter gun laws. His spokesman later said Mr Trump stood by the Second Amendment which guarantees the “right to bear arms”.

Isil repeatedly said it was responsible for the attack, claiming that Paddock had converted to Islam in the past few months. The terrorist group described him as a “martyr”, who was using the Arabic name Abu Abdul al-Bar al-Amriki. Both police and the FBI said they were still seeking a motive and added that Paddock was not known to be connected to any terrorist group.

Police said Paddock had checked into the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Hotel on Thursday and then waited until the final act of the last night of a three-day country music festival when crowds were at their peak.

Joseph Lombardo, the local sheriff for Clark County, said: “Right now, we believe it’s a sole actor, a lone-wolf-type actor.”

Aaron Rouse, an FBI special agent, said: “As this event unfolds, we have determined to this point no connection with an international terrorist group.”

Las Vegas shooting infographic. Click to enlarge

This graphic shows how Stephen Paddock took aim (top left) from his window on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel before firing indiscriminately into a crowd of 22,000 festivalgoers. Police SWAT teams arrived at his room almost two hours later, blowing their way through the doors to find his lifeless body inside after he had turned a gun on himself

One possible theory, according to local reports, was that Paddock had made “several large gambling transactions in recent weeks”, suggesting he may have been a disgruntled punter who had racked up huge debts. His brother, Eric Paddock, last night said he had been a multimillionaire real-estate investor.

An official speaking to Reuters said Paddock, who had no known criminal record, had a “history of psychological problems”. Despite this, he bought his arsenal legally, including hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Paddock’s father was a “psychopathic” serial bank robber who was once on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list. Eric Paddock said his brother’s massacre was baffling. “We have no idea. We’re horrified. We’re bewildered and our condolences go out to the victims,” he said.

President Trump condemned the shooting, saying: “He [Paddock] brutally murdered more than 50 people and wounded hundreds more. It was an act of pure evil.”

He added: “To the families of the victims: We are praying for you and we are here for you, and we ask God to help see you through this very dark period.”

Pope Francis said he was “deeply saddened by this senseless tragedy”.

Jason Aldean, the country and western star, was on stage when Paddock started firing on the venue, about 400 yards from his hotel room. Video footage shows him diving for cover. Crowds ran, scaling fences to seek refuge under the stage or beneath parked cars close to the venue. Some were trampled in the race for survival.

Police said they found 23 guns in the gunman’s room, according to The New York Times. They included two weapons mounted on tripods at the windows and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Witnesses praised the heroic actions of military veterans in the crowd who used their skills to save lives “by plugging bullet-holes with their fingers”.

Off-duty police officers, at least one of whom was killed, bravely stood tall among the audience, making themselves targets by doing so, in order to direct music fans to safety.

In its claim, Isil said that Paddock, who lived in a retirement community in Mesquite, Nevada, about 80 miles from Las Vegas, was a recent convert.

According to the terror group’s news agency, Amaq, the attack was carried out by a “soldier” of the caliphate “in response to calls to target coalition countries.” In a later statement, Isil said he had an Arabic name and “asks God to accept him”.

Isil often claims attacks by individuals inspired by its message but with no known links to the group.Police said Paddock had checked into the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Hotel on Thursday and then waited until the final act of the last night of a three-day country music festival when crowds were at their peak.

(abridged)

— § —

TIMELINE OF TERROR IN VEGAS

Country music star Jason Aldean was performing on stage at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival when lone gunman Stephen Paddock, 64, opened fire on the 22,000 people gathered.

About 10pm: Paddock smashes out two windows on the 32nd floor with a hammer-like implement and opens fire with his arsenal of at least 19 weapons – including fully automatic weapons.

10.08pm: First phone call to police that shots had been fired at the festival outside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

10.38pm: Police in Las Vegas say that they are ‘investigating reports of an active shooter’ near to the Mandalay Bay.

11.08pm: Las Vegas police confirm they have shut down a portion of The Strip

11.20pm: SWAT teams storm the 32nd floor room that Stephen Paddock was firing from. They gained entry using flashbangs designed to stun the shooter. Officers entered the room and found he had taken his own life. Seventy-two minutes elapsed from the first 911 call to Paddock being found dead.

11.20pm: Hundreds of people began being transported to hospitals in Las Vegas

11.32pm: McCarran International Airport announced it was diverting flights destined for the city.

11.34pm: Interstate 15 in and out of Las Vegas was shut down for a time.

11.56pm: Hospitals in Las Vegas said that at least two people were dead and 24 were injured of which 12 were critical.

12.01am: Almost two hours after the first emergency call police confirmed that one suspect was ‘down’.

1.06am: The Southern California police department say that one of their officers is among the injured.

1.34am: At this point the death toll dramatic rises to 20 people injured and 100 injured.

1.54am: Police in Las Vegas says that two of their officers who were off-duty were among the dead.

2.13am: Investigators say that they are looking for the ‘roommate’ of the shooter – Marilou Danley and describe her as a person of interest.

3.30am: Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo announces that the death toll is now at least 50 dead and 200 injured – making this the deadliest shooting in US history

6.30am: Investigators say they have located Marilou Danley and say that she is overseas and is not longer a person of interest.

9.30am: Sheriff provides another update and says that the death toll is now in excess of 58 and that 515 people are injured.

— § —

Stephen Lendman suggests something more “sinister” is going on.

SLAUGHTER IN LAS VEGAS

Information Clearing House. 3 October 2017. On Sunday, reportedly at least 59 people were killed, another 527 injured in a mass shooting incident during a concert near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Police blamed a lone gunman, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, called a “local resident,” reportedly firing from a window on the Mandalay hotel’s 32nd floor. Raw video footage from a taxi driver showed muzzle flashes from the 4th floor. The Harvest Music Festival took place across the street.

Did he take his own life as Las Vegas police claimed or did SWAT team members lethally shoot him? His brother, Eric, said: “There is no reason we can imagine why Stephen would do something like this.”

“We have no idea how this happened. It’s like an asteroid just fell on top of our family.” Stephen was “not an avid gun guy at all…He had no military background or anything like that.”

Police located Marilou Danley’s whereabouts, living outside America, thought to be his “companion” and “roommate,” calling her a “person of interest.” She’s not considered a suspect.

City police tweeted overnight: “Confirming that one suspect is down. This is an active investigation. Please do not head down to the Strip at this time.”

Was it a lone wolf attack or something more sinister? It’s too soon to know. One gunman able to kill or wound hundreds of people single-handedly raises suspicions.

Nearly two dozen rifles and other firearms allegedly found in his room begs an obvious question. How could anyon get them into the hotel unnoticed? How many suitcases and/or satchels are needed to transport this arsenal, along with munitions?

Dead men tell no tales, so his account of what happened won’t be told. Witnesses on the scene suggested multiple shooters. One unnamed individual insisted there were more than one. It would seem likely given the high casualty count.

Even using a semi-automatic weapon, one shooter able to cause this much carnage singlehandedly begs a couple of questions. Were others involved? Was the incident as reported or a false flag?

On Monday, the FBI said Paddock has no connection to ISIS. What’s behind Sunday’s carnage remains to be revealed.

The official account has a familiar disturbing aroma. Was Paddock a convenient patsy? He’s not around to tell his side.

ENDNOTE BY LASHA DARKMOON

There is a report of a woman pushing through the festival crowds, 45 minutes before the atrocity occurred, warning people they were about to die. She is described as Hispanic, about 5ft 5in, with brown hair. Apparently accompanied by her Hispanic boyfriend, her behavior was described as distinctly “crazy”. She was playing with people’s hair and screaming: “YOU’RE ALL GONNA F****** DIE TODAY!”

What became of her and her boyfriend is not clear, but it seems she and her companion may have been escorted from the scene by security officers who thought they were no more than high-spirited troublemakers.

— Daily Mail, October 3, 2017, p. 6

The “blame game” has already begun, with the two chief candidates for hatred being lined up. The first is the increasingly hated White Male, now widely portrayed as a “White Supremacist” whenever he puts his head above the parapet and draws attention to himself in any way. The second is the average Muslim, almost universally seen as a secret jihadist with sympathies for ISIS.

It is perhaps no coincidence that the psychopath (or patsy) involved in this attack, Stephen Paddock, is both white and has been accused of conversion to Islam and a sinister connection with ISIS — a terrorist organization, ironically, that is apparently “the enemy of mankind” and is yet known to be financed and fully supported by the US government and the state of Israel.